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Demonstration of efficient Thomson cooler by electronic phase transition
Zhiwei Chen1, Xinyue Zhang1, Shuxian Zhang1
1Interdisciplinary Materials Research Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai, China.
Nature Materials
|October 30, 2024
Summary
Researchers developed a novel thermoelectric cooler leveraging the Thomson effect, achieving significant cooling at cryogenic temperatures. This breakthrough offers a new avenue for solid-state cooling technologies beyond traditional methods.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- Thermoelectric cooling traditionally relies on the Peltier effect, with the Thomson effect often being negligible in conventional materials.
- Optimizing thermoelectric performance typically focuses on maximizing the figure of merit (ZT) within the Peltier effect framework.
- Lord Kelvin predicted the Thomson effect for cooling within a single material, but its practical application has been limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To demonstrate a thermoelectric cooler enhanced by the Thomson effect.
- To explore the direct manipulation of charge entropy for significant thermoelectric cooling.
- To investigate the potential of YbInCu4 for solid-state cryogenic cooling applications.
Main Methods:
- Utilized YbInCu4, a material exhibiting a large Thomson coefficient (τ) due to an electronic phase transition.
- Engineered devices to exploit the Thomson effect for cooling.
- Measured steady temperature span (ΔT) at cryogenic temperatures (T = 38 K).
Main Results:
- Achieved a steady temperature span (ΔT) exceeding 5 K at 38 K.
- Demonstrated significant cooling performance driven by the enhanced Thomson effect.
- Confirmed the role of manipulated charge entropy in achieving substantial cooling.
Conclusions:
- The study presents a viable Thomson-effect-enhanced thermoelectric cooler, offering an alternative to ZT optimization.
- This approach opens new possibilities for advancing thermoelectric cooling, particularly for solid-state cryogenic applications.
- Direct manipulation of charge entropy is a promising strategy for novel thermoelectric cooling devices.
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